January 4th, 2023
Caroline's Picks:
Scarlet Witch #1 - Wanda wants to make a positive difference in the world with her powers, she wants to be a force of change for the better and safety for all. She knows she’s hurt more than enough people in the past and how she just wants to start a new path forward. So she’s putting down some roots and creating a nice little shop where people can seek what they need, and of course there’s The Last Door. a ‘half spell-half portal’ that sends those at their lowest point with no one else to turn to for help to Wanda and her shop. All this is, of course, conveniently explained to us when Pietro decides to give his beloved sister, and Darcy, a quick visit. Luckily for Wanda she doesn’t have to wait too long for the door to have its first visitor with a problem Wanda can actually handle. One magical adventure later and things are looking good for Wanda. She’s home and about to close shop for the evening but one more person needs her help, and it's probably the last person she ever expected to come through The Last Door.
Children of the Black Sun #1 - This series feels like a solid mix of The Umbrella Academy and Joe Hill’s Rain. The first issue does such a great job of establishing the world the characters live in and the collective trauma everyone on the planet has shared. One day the sun just simply did not rise and in its place was a burning black sun instead. And like a switch something snapped and humanity felt hopeless, killing themselves and others in the process. Only for the normal sun to rise again the next day. This event has happened twice in the history of the world on the same day 4 years apart. As the years have gone on the black sun hasn’t risen again but it certainly left its mark. Children conceived on those days are all born with white skin, hair, and nails and eyes that are burning red. Some people claim they were sent as a reminder from a greater presence, some claim they will bring about the next black sun that plagues the Earth. But not even these children truly know what they really are. Yet.
Mosely #1 - Marvin Mosely was supposed to change the world. He sacrificed everything for the sake of advancing technology to the point of human salvation. Mose was supposed to be a teacher, educating the next great AI that would save the world. In the end he left his home, his family, for nothing. The project failed and he and his robot pupil were left to clean up the trash, literally. But his failure was not one that belonged to the world, and technology eventually moved forward bringing Mose with him whether he wanted to be or not. Unfortunately for him its his daughter, whom he left behind for his own experiment, that ends up being a key creator of this new world. But Mose still doesn’t like it, doesn’t trust it or the ‘people’ she’s surrounded herself with. Mose doesn’t intend to just let things go though, his goal has always been to make the world a safer place for his family, and nothing is going to stop him.
Rogue State #2 - You would think after leaving her rather obvious mark around town ‘Dust Girl’ would lay low for a bit to avoid the Redcaps. But not our girl. Clara is right back out there putting in the work for the underbelly of society. After making a few drops Clara is quick to dip when her cover gets intentionally blown, seems like everyone these days is looking to get on the good side of the ‘law’, even those she thinks she can trust. One quick get away attempt that turns into a riot leaves Clara reeling and remembering that first night in the Alley. Remembering just how bad things can go from casual violence to life ending threats. The night where her life really changed and drove her to the ‘cause’ of fighting corruption at the street level. Clara’s been lucky this entire time, somehow she’s always got people looking out for her and helping her from the shadows. And when the Redcaps finally close in on her she better hope luck is on her side again.
Diarra's Picks:
Mosely #1 - Rob Guillory helped create one of my all time favorite graphic novels, Chew, so when I saw he had a new series hitting the shelves, I knew I had to pick it up. This action sci-fi is jam packed, but we still have more answers to learn. This book begins with Marvin Mosely saying goodbye to his partner and newborn daughter as he prepares to leave for a year long government sponsored program, but he believes this sacrifice is for the greater good. During this year away he, and many others, will be paired with an AI to which they will teach about the human race. We see their first interaction but then the story jumps years into the future, and while this new world has embraced technology, whatever happened during Mosely’s time in the program has soured him to tech. While he is trying to distance himself from AI, his now adult daughter is fully invested, and after a visit with her you can tell it’s put a strain on their relationship. As Mosely is walking home, a kid with biotech tries to shake him down and Mosely nearly dies in the altercation. As he lay there dying, aid comes in the form of a mysterious flaming ax. Now Mosely is stronger than ever, but the ax seems to need Mosely as much as he needed it. If this series doesn’t promise enough non stop excitement, starting with #2, each issue will end with a bonus story!
Gangsta Ass Barista #1 - From the world of the fantasy series Destiny NY, comes another story from the Green Bean coffee shop! So far it doesn’t seem like there will be any magic in this series, but there will definitely be loads of action/excitement. Trinity has lived a life of crime, but has decided to leave that behind and try out being a barista. Customer service is proving to be even harder for Trinity when she has to smile at people she’d much rather kick in the eye (yes, I’m a Smiths fan). It’s just another boring day, when two customers begin to fight in the lobby. The two are escorted out but one of the scrappers left their bag…a bag full of cash! Trinity doesn’t tell her coworkers about this find. I mean she wants to give up her life of crime, but she can’t turn away cash just falling in her lap. The next day some goons come in the shop asking about the bag, but she just plays dumb and suggests maybe her annoying coworker has more information. Later when that same coworker comes in for his shift all black and blue, she realizes these guys mean serious business, but he says it wasn’t the same guys from earlier, instead a female biker gang. This is even more alarming to Trinity who used to run with a similar crew. We get a glimpse into some of Trinity’s past bad deeds and we understand why she might be running from her past…a past that is gaining on her. This black and white series is bringing the same page turning energy as Destiny NY and I can’t wait to see how gangster this book gets!
Spy Superb #1 - Matt Kindt gave us the meta-spy thriller Super Spy, featuring 52 intertwine short stories jam packed with action so I was pumped to see this on the selves. We’ve met his super spies, but what could be more superb than a spy who doesn’t even know he is spying! For years, this secret spy agency has been running missions using civilians who don’t even realize they are doing anything out of their normal day to day, but when one of these random civilians turns up dead, they realize someone is on to them. He was intercepted on the way to pick up a cell phone full of data on all the mystery spies and this information could destroy the agency. They need someone new and disposable to retrieve the case, and failing author/useful idiot, Jay Bartholomew III, is the perfect patsy. The agency sets up a scenario where Jay must pick up a new phone and so far things are going as planned, but opposing forces follow Jay home in order to steal the package. Through sheer luck and idiocy, Jay manages to escape the four hitmen who followed him home and he realizes the phone he picked up wasn’t his. Now Jay has to use what he has learned from reading spy novels to survive and find the beautiful woman whose picture is the screen saver. I enjoy Matt Kindt so much I blind ordered all the books from his new controversial indie comic company, Bad Idea, because I knew he was writing some of the issues, so I'm definitely sticking with this James Bond meets Monty Python crime thriller!
K's Picks:
Joe Fixit #1 - Short, sweet and straight to the earth-shattering point! I have been waiting for this issue for far too long, and quite frankly, I'm already troubled by how quick I sped through it. My roots in Marvel started with the Hulk. From the movies to the games to eventually any comic I could get my hands on. I finally came across the alter-ego known as Joe Fixit, a gangster-inspired personality created by Bruce's love for mob movies. Of course, there were appearances here and there but not enough to fill that Fixit-shaped void. When Immortal Hulk hit the scene bringing back the Vegas brawling hero, it felt fresh and interesting to see him back in action. Now we get to see the gray man thrash his way through Vegas once more. Joe has shown how badass he really his here, smashing Kingpin and punishing that arrogant Charisma, all while taunting the big guy. It's cool seeing his own series and I'm really interested to see what he can really do.
Gold Goblin #3 - The Goblin clad in gold has some demons to face, and that's more literal this time around. Norman Osborne is going through it again.
He's really getting slapped silly these past few issues. We originally got to see his heroic wings really spread in ish #1, but now we are finally seeing no one is going to let his sins go unchecked. Chasm has been a fine edition to the story with his hellbent nature to destroy the lives of Peter and Norman. Surprisingly, Norman's psychiatrist turns into the Queen Goblin and attacks him. Was it a hallucination? I can't tell, BUT, another Goblin Glider kid goes hunting after Norman! The guy seriously can't get a break, even when he tries really hard. All things considered, my love for the characters is sky rocketing with each issue!
Rick & Morty vs Cthulhu #2 - Last time on Rick and Morty, Rick gets a headache and the gang is out having a good time with the local sea folk. In all seriousness, I think this was a very solid issue this week - pretty funny stuff all around. Honestly, if you've seen Rick & Morty you get the usual spiel, but that doesn't change how in-depth Jim Zub is in representing the weird, dark and indeed dodgey sides of Lovecraft. I'm no expert on Eldritch lore but I'm more than interested to see what's to come out of this. Morty becoming Dagon's son and Summer going to a weird dreamscape with some creepy old dude was great. It's a nice bridge for issue three and I'm wondering what wacky way Rick is going to cone back from having his head exploded!